Improvement in envelope-machines



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

I J.BALL.

ENVELOPE MACHINE.

Patented Jan, 31, 1871.

m w M 5 K .4

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J.BALL;

ENVBLUPE MACHINE.

No. 111,420 Patented Jan. .31, 1871.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

J. BALL. ENVELOPE MACHINE.

Na. 111,420. Patented Jan. 31, 1871.

EE EE! UNITED STATES PATEpT Qr FIo JAMES BALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IIMPROVEMENT m ENVELOPE-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 111,420, dated January 31, 1871.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES BALL, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Cutting Out section of this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan or top new of the same, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the cutting mechanism, showing the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are details referred to in the descriptio Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting out blanks for envelopes, either in sheets or singly.

The roll of paper is placed loosely on guides, so that it can adj ustitself laterally, and that the paper drawn off from said roll will pass regularly between the guides of the feed-cylinder without regard to the regularity of the roll itself.

The motion of the feed-cylinderis intermit. tent, said cylinder being held stationary and retained in position by a segmental stop during the time the knife is in action. The motion of the feed-cylinder is further governed by elliptic gear-wheels, so that it starts slowly;

then its velocity is increased, and finally again decreased toward the close of its motion, and consequently the paper is drawn oil from the roll slowly at first, to prevent the paper from being torn, then quicker and quicker, until the sheet is drawnout about half-way, when the velocity again gradually decreases, to prevent the roll from turning any farther than desirable' byits own momentum.

The motion of the knife alternates with that of the teed-cylinder, said knife being stationary while the feed-cylinder moves, and vice versa, the motion of said knife being governed by a clutch, which is automatically thrown in and out of gear at the proper intervals by a cam.

The sheetsor blanks, after having been cut ofi from the roll, drop on a platform provided with guide-strips and with heaters, whereby said sheets or blanks are adjusted automatically ina uniform pile,

The platform rests on four endless screws,

and by turning these screws said platform is gradually lowered as the pile of blanks supported by it' increases, so that the same, on reaching the bottom of the screws, can be conveniently. removed, while a new platform is placed on the top of the screws, and the operation of cutting can be continued without interruption.

'In the drawing, the letter A designates a frame, on the top of which are formed two rectilinear guides, at, which form the supports for the gudgeons b of the roll of paper B. The

paper drawn from the roll passes under the feed-cylinder O, which bears on the peripheries of a series of rollers, D, so that by imparting to said rollers and to the feed-cylindie:- a revolving motion, the paper is drawn off from the roll.

Two segmental guides, c, which extend over the feed-cylinder, serve to keep the paper drawn off from the roll in the proper direction, and the roll of paper is placed loosely on the guides a, so that it is free to adjust itself laterallya precaution which is necessary, because the rolls of paper are not wound perfectly regular, as an inspection of their ends will show.

The feed-cylinder O and the rollers D are geared together so that they revolve in opposite directions, and they are connected with the driving-shaft E by a train of gear-wheels, as indicated partly in full and ted lines in Fig. 1.

On the driving shaft is mounted a cogwheel, (I, which has a portion of its teeth cut away, and which gears in an intermediategear-wheel, 0. p

On the side of the cogwheel d, alongside of that portion thereof which has no teeth, is secured a plain segment, f, corresponding to a concave segmental stop, g,-secured to theside of the gear-wheel 0, (see Fig. 4,) so that the last-named gear-wheel is prevented from turning during the time the plain part of the cogwheel 01 sweeps past the same, and thereby the whole train of wheels, which depends upon the gear-wheel e for its motion, and also the feed-cylinder, remainstationary during a certain part of the revolution of the driving' shaft-that is to say, during the time the knife is in motion.

From the gear-wheel c the motion is transmitted to the fecd-cylinderby means of two elliptic wheels, h 1', (see Fig. 1,) which are so adjustedin relation to each other that the partly in dotpendent of said shaft.

feed-cylinder on being started begins to move quite slowly; then its speed is gradually increased, and, finally, again decreased, so that it comes gradually to a stop. The object of this arrangement is to draw the paper gradually from the roll, since the paper would be liable to be torn if thefeed-cylindcr should be started suddenly; and if said feed-cylinder should stop suddenly, the roll of paper would be liable to revolve by its own momentum farther than required, whereby the paper would be wrinkled and the correct operation of the apparatus would be disturbed.

The paper, on being drawn off from the roll, is carried-out over the platform 1?,onthe end of which is secured a cutting-blade, G, which, in connection with the knife H, effects the cutting of the paper, the motion of the feed-cyL inder being so adjusted that for each stroke of the knife the required quantity of paper is drawn out from the roll.

The knife H is secured at its ends to vertical bars j, which move up and down in guides k,

motion being imparted 'to' them by pitmanrods l,wn1ch extend from said bars to eccentric wrist-pins 721, secured in disks n, which,

are mounted on the ends of ashaft, '0. This shaft is geared together with the drivin g-shaft ll l by a pinion, p, and cog-wheel q, (see Fig. 2;) but the pinion p is mounted loosely on the shai'to, and it is provided in the end of its hub with a tooth or pin, 1', (see Fi 2,) which can be made to engage with a similar tooth or pin, s, projecting from the end of a. sleeve, 15, which is mounted on the shaft 0 by means of a feather-key, so that it can slide thereon without being allowed, however, to revolve inde- This sleeve is provided with a groove, 11, which engages with a pin, 1*, secured in a lever, to, which is pivoted to the main frame, said pin a being also made to engage with a cam-groove, 0:, formed in a drum which is mounted on the driving-shaft. liy this can't-groove the sleeve or clutch t is thrown into gear with the pinion p at the moment the feed-cylinder stops and the motion otthe knife takes place; and as soon as the knife has completed its down and up stroke the sleeve is again thrown out of gear with the pinion and the motion of the knife stops.

In order to retain the knife securely in' position after its motion stops. a disk, 3 is mounted on the shaft. 0, and in the periphery of this disk is made a notch, (see Fig. 2,) which engages with a pin, z, projecting from the lever 11- just at the moment the clutch is thrown out of gear with the pinion. (See Fig. 5.)

The blanks cut oft from the roll of paper drop down upon a platform, I, which is supported by'the threads of four endless screws, K, said screws being geared together, so that they can be turned simultaneouslyin the proper direction to impart to the platform resting thereon a slow downward motion.

With the platform l are combined two sets of heaters. (("b, which are situated opposite to gages c d, rising from the platform,so

that each blank, after having dropped upon the platform, will be pushed up against said gages, and the blanks will arrange them selves in a regular pile. I

The gages must, of course, conform. to the irregular edges of the blanks, and they may be curved orbent-to correspond to said edges or they may be provided with projecting blocks 0., which are fastened to the gages, and which can be removed and replaced by others to correspond to blanks of .a different shape.

The beaters co 1) are mounted on shafts f g, which are geared together, and receive an intermittent motion by a suitable connection with the driving-shaft E, as shown in Fig. .1.

The endless screws K may be operated by hand, or they may be geared together with the driving-shaft; andif a pile of sufiicient height has accumulated on a platform another one is introduced, and the operation of cutting is continued without interruption.

The platforms descend and are discharged at the bottom ends of the screws K, and their piles of blanks are then removed to the ordinary cutting or folding machine-that is to say, if my machine is used for cutting out sheets each large enough for sixteen (more or less) envelopes, such sheets are-cut up in the ordinary cutting-machine; but if my machine is used for cutting out blanks each large enough for one envelope, the piles of blanks are directly introduced into the folding-machine.

What 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The plain guides a, supporting the gridgeons of the roll of paper, and allowing said roll to adjust itself laterally in accordance with the guides c of the feed-cylinder, substantially as described.

2. The wheel at, with plain segment f, segmental stop g, and wheel 6, and the elliptic wheels h '6, combined and operating together, in relation to the feed-cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The knife'H, in combination with the rod 1, disks it, loose pinion h, sleeve 2, teeth 1 s, groove a, pin a, and cam groove w, substantially-as and for the purpose set forth 4. The pin is, projecting from the swinging lever, and the notched disk y, operating together, in combination with the stop mechanism of the knife, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The platform I, having its edges bearing on the inner portions of the threads of the endless-geared screws K, so that an empty platform may be substituted for the loaded platform.

6. The combination of heaters a b and gages c (1/ with the platform I, as set forth.

' JAMES BALL.

\Nitnesses W. HAUFF, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

